Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald emceed the event.
He prompted Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, and representatives from Turner Construction and Hilton Hotels to don hardhats and approach a mound of dirt…
“I will invite the podium members to come to my right here, pick up a shovel, do some honest work for a change…” he joked.
It was a nice photo op. Truth is though, that digging’s been going on for weeks…as evidenced by the cranes, excavators, and the deep foundation already dug on the spot where the old Cuyahoga County Administration sat.
The $272 million hotel’s portrayed as another sign of the city’s rejuvenation.
“It is not a coincidence that we are one of the cities that is a finalist for both the Democratic National Convention and the Republican National convention," FitGerald told the audience. "It’s because we’re starting to show the capacity to do these great things. We’re just as ambitious and just as competent as generations of Clevelanders past.”
Completion is set for April 2016.
Other recent hotel projects include a trio of boutique hotels across the downtown and Flats East Bank areas, and "The 9" being built at the intersection of 9th and Euclid.